


Relearn

by missfortunesirprize



Series: Brimstone [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-28 06:51:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7629262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missfortunesirprize/pseuds/missfortunesirprize
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world, and everything in it, is foreign to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Relearn

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, I own nada.

The world, and everything in it, is foreign to him. He's never seen anything outside of the experimentation room and his own cell, so the sudden influx of information makes him feel like his brain is being overloaded. He's free now, as much as he can be while they're still keeping a close watch on him for any signs of danger, and he can experience things that he never knew existed. He learns what it feels like to have the rain on his skin, even though the moisture sizzles away from his body heat before it can soak into his clothes. He sees a rainbow for the first time and listens eagerly as Clint tells him to make a wish, that it could come true. He doesn't tell anyone that he wishes and hopes that this isn't a dream. He discovers the internet, and books, movies, music, a whole world full of information at his fingertips, and words infused with feeling and passion, so different from the guarded way of communicating that he's so used to. He learns what it means to be able to want, to be able to keep things without the fear of it being taken away, even though it takes them weeks to convince him that he doesn't need to hide food away, that there will always be food whenever he wants it. He learns what it means to feel. He learns what it feels like to love, to be loved in return, and what it feels like to be held and comforted, as if he's worthy of any of it. He knows he isn't, but he lets them tell him otherwise, because they're words he's never heard before. 

He also learns what it means to be heartbroken. He learns what it feels like to watch as someone he cares for is ripped away from him, the horrible feeling that fills his chest when all he can do is scream the name of a person that will never answer him. He experiences the bittersweetness of getting attached to someone he knows is too good for him, but he can't stop himself from putting him heart on the line regardless. He knows the sharp pain in his chest as he looks around at the people around him and can't stop himself from thinking that he doesn't belong there, that he's nothing to them. The bad days far outweigh the good, blurring together in a seemingly never-ending cycle of scorch marks on everything he touches and the tears as he bites down on his fist to hide the fact that he's having a breakdown. But somewhere along the way, between the movie nights and the cold silences when he says something wrong, between all the sleepless nights because his days in the base will never truly leave him, whenever he tries he wakes up screaming with the taste of his own blood in his mouth and the quiet background noise of the TV filling the silence as strong arms wrap around his shoulders, and the laughter that fills the air as they eat, and the proud smiles as he finally gains control over himself, he realizes that he's found a family here. 

He relearns everything he thought he knew about the world, like a slate wiped clean, in late night talks and tight hugs, soft touches and barely-there kisses, in laughter and cups of coffee, pain and loss and family and love, but he learns most in the easy acceptance of Harley. The boy, barely over sixteen years old, immediately latches onto him and declares him harmless, sticks with him when most people would've walked away, should've walked away, and acts like there's nothing wrong with him. He learns the way Harley's eyes flutter when he sleeps, when he watches because he can't sleep and stays up to be a guard, and the soft rise and fall of his chest underneath the thin cotton shirt he's sleeping in. He feels the way Harley goes still and soft when he runs fingers along the ridge of the genius' collar-bone, down along his spine, letting him behind and uncaring about the potential threat. He experiences the soft smile that curves Harley's lips as he runs his fingers across eyebrows and brushes gently along his lashes, the blue-green veins under the skin of his wrists, and knows what it's like to trust. He learns desire, the rush of heat through his veins, and how it feels to be able to take, because Harley's never been able to deny him anything but especially not this. Not when he wants it just as much. He learns what it looks like to see Harley spread out on their bed, pliant and relaxed with his lips so red, and what it feels like to be pulled into a kiss that says everything that they never can. The first kiss is soft, barely there and he worries too much about how much pressure to use, focusing on keeping his powers under control. It quickly changes. Soft and sweet turns into rough kisses up against the bedroom door, legs wrapping around his waist as he holds Harley up and presses as close as he can get. He learns the sounds that pour from that tempting mouth as he blushes, and the hissed commands to hold tighter, he's not a doll, he can take it, and the way that Harley shakes as he whimpers into the heated air from the overstimulation. He feels the way that fingernails bite into his back when he moves his fingers the right way, digging deep into his skin. He sees the way that the muscles move under pale skin when he rises up to meet the mesmerizing, gorgeous man astride his hips, and the flush that spreads down from his cheeks to his shoulders. 

Surely he can't be so undeserving, if Harley loves him.


End file.
